After 5 years of experiencing meditation, I can definitely say that today, meditation is part of my life… I went through different phases of understanding though and I’m sure I will discover and learn even more as time passes by while I enjoy all the steps of the way…
After 10 intense days at Vipassana meditating for the first time, my heart felt light and my practice was regular for over a year. Then I learned other techniques by attending to bouddhist retreats, by going to temples where the chanting prayers take you into your deep self, with friends or simply by exploring different types of meditations on internet.
Since I’ve been in Shanghai, I attended different meditation groups. One of them is called “Deeksha Meditation” and I feel the philosophy is very much aligned with mine : we’re all inter-connected, there is no separation between all species, we’re “One”. This practice comes from “Oneness University” in India.
I feel very honored and grateful that Jacqueline, my master of Deeksha meditation asked me to take over the group she had because she was going for a long spiritual journey. I have to recognize that when she asked me, I felt unconfortable and not very confident with what I thought my very tiny knowledge of the subject. So she simply told me :
“I believe in you, why don’t you just believe in yourself?”
It was so true but at the same time, I was scared. Finally I took the plunge with faith in myself and in life. It’s been 10 months and now I organise 2 weekly group meditations: advanced on Monday and beginners on Thursday. There are more and more people, there’s a real need. This routine helps me to be more stable in my practice and I realise it brings a nice balance in my life. Beyond that, it makes me feel happy… happy to share so much nice energies and a true satisfaction to give people the opportunity to “pause”.
Yes, this is the way I see meditation nowadays in our modern and fast-paced society. It’s a time to pause, a time you give to yourself, to listen to yourself, to be conscious of your environment, to find a calm and peaceful state of mind.
I’d like to share with you this nice image of meditation that once a monk explained to us. He said :
“Take a tea glass, add some tea leaves and hot water. Then you move the glass without stopping, the tea leaves keep on moving, right? However, if you stop moving, the leaves will slowly settle at the bottom of the glass and the water will be clearer, more limpid. It is the same for your spirit, if you’re always moving, you can’t see clearly but if you stop then you can see what is really inside of you.”
According to me, it is one of the first steps to take to get started on meditation.
When we practice meditation in a peaceful place, with relaxing music, alone or in group, we create the ideal conditions to be here, in the present, to go back to ourselves but also be aware of what is around us, the people and the world.
Step by step, we learn to take these “pauses” more regularly. They’re becoming more natural, the pauses become longer and longer, and end up being able to take pauses without being in a peaceful room or sitting cross-legged.
Until one day, this reconnection with ourselves can be made at any given moment and its magic begins.
In this meditation breathing practice, I’m fascinated by through simple breathing, we become aware of the inhalations and exalations that unit us to life. At each moment, we can reconnect to ourselves through the respiration, through this breath of life.
Personnally, I found meditation the most efficient and useful tool because with some practice, it doesn’t require any external tool : no need for music, for special posture nor special place, this breathing practice can be done anywhere, anytime, even while taking the metro.
Learning to Be in the Present through meditation allows us to feel better what is happening inside of ourselves, to learn to listen to ourselves and to others, to have less doubt, less questionnings, to be more confident and therefore, to be happier and more serene…
I wish everyone to learn to listen to their inner voice guiding them on their own way in life…
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